Effects of Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction Training on Body Composition and Strength in Cancer Cachexia: A Case Study

A common side effect of cancer and anticancer treatment is cancer-associated cachexia (CAC), a multifactorial syndrome characterized by the loss of bodyweight, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. Recommended therapeutic options are multidimensional, including nutritional, pharmacological, and exercise interventions. A novel therapeutic approach is the use of low-load resistance training combined with blood flow restriction to the trained limbs (LL-BFR). It has been shown to induce adaptations in muscle mass and strength despite a low training load in various clinical populations and might be a suitable training modality for cancer patients suffering from CAC.

A 56-year-old female patient diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder cancer, suffering from CAC, performed LL-BFR training twice weekly for 12 wk and received a guideline-based nutritional intervention. All outcome measures (maximal strength (8RM), handgrip strength, body mass, lean body mass, body cell mass, quality of life (QoL), and symptom burden) were evaluated before and directly after the training period.

Adherence was moderate (67% of all training sessions completed), and no adverse events were noted. All measures of physical capacity and body composition improved between 19% to 55% and 9% to 11%, respectively. QoL decreased in 5/6 subscales, while symptom burden increased in 2/4 subscales.

Treatment of CAC requires a multitargeted and interdisciplinary approach. This is the first case study using LL-BFR training in an oncological patient during active therapy. Our results show that LL-BFR was feasible and, despite no positive effect on QoL and symptom burden, could induce relevant changes of muscle strength and muscle mass in a relatively short training period. Further research is necessary to confirm the results of this case study in randomized controlled trials.